Spicy and Tender Crock Pot Pork Chops

From: WorkingMom2three

On Sep 10, 2008

I wasn't going to put any stars on this because I believe that my experience is definitely not the norm and had a lot to do with the way the pork cooked, BUT, I really didn't like it, so 1 star it gets. First, this recipe has the dubious honor of being the LAST crock pot recipe I ever make because I am so frustrated with my experiences. I have determined that there really are no "fix it and forget it" recipes. I bought the ingredients for this one before I read that I had to brown the chops. Sigh. I don't have time to brown chops in the morning before I leave for work. So, I did it the night before and put the browned chops in the fridge. (another dirty dish) Then I put the other ingredients together in another container. In the morning, I layered the chops, then poured on the "sauce". Based on some of the reviews, I added a couple of shakes of red pepper and 3 small cloves of garlic, pressed. I put my Proctor Silex crock on low. Here's my other gripe about crock pot recipes - none of them can take the 10+ hours of cooking when I am gone. I leave the house at 7, and, if I'm lucky, DH is back by 5 to turn it off. Most dishes are indistiguishable shreds by then or completely dried out. A couple of the reviews had me scared - they said their chops were cooked by 5 hours. I asked my mom if she would turn off the crock pot at 3 - leaving 8 hours of cooking. I figured I would be cooking a little more when I got home to warm them. When I got home, I looked at the chops - they looked cooked, but none of the sauce ingredients had melded at all. I mixed it up a bit and put the dry ones on the top in the bottom. I turned the crock back on high for the ~30 minutes or so that it took to cook the rice. My DH ate the first one, and he noticed it was pink inside. The texture seemed cooked (not raw), but they were pink near the bone. The vegetables were still crunchy. They were not tough or dry, but I definitely had to use a knife to cut them. I don't know why 8 hours on low was not enough for these. I have made country ribs with a bottle of bbq sauce, and they usually have fallen off the bone by the time I get home. I make a chicken dish, and I have to put the CP on a timer so that it doesn't fall apart, but they are cooked after the 4-5 hours, so I know that my CP is working ok. When I turned it up to high, it was practically boiling (makeing me feel better about not cooking these on high). I think it might have been the lack of "juice" because they basically dry-cooked, and it was very inconsistent. I probably should have used my slow cooker instead of the CP, but I have a difficult time converting the temp gauge to what it would be in my CP. So, as I said, probably a cooking problem, not the recipe, but I did follow it exactly, and I did not have success.

From: Sassy in da South

On Aug 9, 2008

I am so glad I tried this recipe yesterday! I had a very busy day planned and didnt have the time to marinate/grill, etc. These were absolutely delicious and fork tender. I did add some minced garlic and red pepper flakes for a bit more kick. I served this with rice and the gravy was awesome. Made a side of fried apples for a delicious dinner that I'll be making again.

From: Denise in da Kitchen

On Aug 3, 2004

I had some thick chops and knew I would be gone all day, so this recipe was perfect. I followed the directions exactly and put everything in my large Rival crock-pot. It cooked all day, (the full 10 hours). Although the pork was very tender, it was a little dry -My fault? I think that was because I used the larger pot. Paired with rice and corn, the family liked it. I think next time I will use less brown sugar and more peppers(it was a little too sweet for DH's tastes), cook it for a only 8 hours, and use the smaller crock-pot so I can layer the chops in it. I did use leftovers in a spagetti sauce which also turned out very well. Thanks for a great crock-pot recipe. This ones a keeper.

From: Bergy

On Nov 7, 2003

This does, as Mellisa says, produce tebder chops. I made 5 chops. I liked the sound of the apples but instead of cooking them separately I peeled, cored and quartered 2 medioum apples and put them in with the chops-excellent. I mixed all the sauce ingredients before pouring over the chops. I was a bit short on the green pepper so I decided to add a bit more heat and added a small tin (apprx 2 oz) of sliced jalapeno peppers. Loved the end result.Served with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli steamed carrots I froze the remaining 4 chops with some sauce and after freezing them individually I vaccum sealed them in bags, again individually. Thanks Mellisa for a great recipe that I will be enjoying several times over